If you love baking bread but find yourself out of bread flour, don’t worry! You can easily make your own bread flour at home with just a couple of ingredients. This handy trick is perfect for those moments when you want to bake that perfect loaf but only have all-purpose flour on hand. Let’s dive into how to make bread flour and why it matters for your baking.
What Is Bread Flour and Why Use It?
Bread flour is a special type of flour made from hard spring wheat, which has a higher protein content-usually between 12% and 14%-compared to all-purpose flour’s 10% to 12% protein. This extra protein is key because it forms gluten when mixed with water and kneaded, giving bread its chewy texture and helping it rise well.
All-purpose flour works fine for many baked goods, but for bread, especially yeast breads, bread flour gives you better structure, volume, and a nice chewy crumb. That’s why it’s worth knowing how to make bread flour at home.
What You Need to Make Bread Flour at Home
The magic ingredient here is vital wheat gluten-a natural protein extracted from wheat that boosts the protein content of your flour mix. You’ll also need:
– All-purpose flour
– Vital wheat gluten
– Measuring cups or a kitchen scale
– A sieve or sifter
– An airtight container for storage
Vital wheat gluten can be found at specialty grocery stores or online. It’s a small investment that can transform your baking.
How to Make Bread Flour: Step-by-Step
Here’s the simple formula to turn all-purpose flour into bread flour:
– Start with 1 cup of all-purpose flour (about 129 grams).
– Remove 1.5 teaspoons of the flour (roughly 4 grams).
– Add 1.5 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten (about 5 grams) to the flour.
– Sift the mixture together to evenly combine.
– Store your homemade bread flour in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
That’s it! This blend will have a protein content close to that of commercial bread flour, improving your bread’s texture and rise.
Tips for Using Your Homemade Bread Flour
– If you don’t have a kitchen scale, measuring by teaspoons works well enough.
– The recipe is forgiving-if you add a little more or less vital wheat gluten, your bread will still turn out great.
– Use your homemade bread flour just like you would store-bought bread flour in any bread recipe.
Why Not Just Use All-Purpose Flour?
You can bake bread with all-purpose flour, but it won’t have the same structure or chewiness. Adding vital wheat gluten to all-purpose flour mimics the higher protein content of bread flour, which strengthens the dough and helps it rise better. This is especially important for yeast breads that need good gluten development.
Bonus: What Else Can Bread Flour Do?
Besides baking bread, bread flour can also be used as a thickening agent in sauces. Just whisk in a tablespoon or two until your sauce reaches the desired consistency.
Wrapping It Up
Making bread flour at home is quick, easy, and a great way to ensure your bread turns out perfectly when you’re out of store-bought bread flour. Just mix all-purpose flour with vital wheat gluten, and you’re ready to bake delicious, chewy loaves with excellent rise and texture every time.
Want to try some bread recipes next? I can help with that too!